Hinsdale, Montana
| Hinsdale, Montana | |
|---|---|
| Census-designated place & Unincorporated community | |
|
Montana Street looking North from Highway 2 | |
| Motto: "The Best Little Town in the Milk River Valley" | |
  Hinsdale, Montana | |
| Coordinates: 48°23′39″N 107°05′05″W / 48.39417°N 107.08472°WCoordinates: 48°23′39″N 107°05′05″W / 48.39417°N 107.08472°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Valley |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 6.664 sq mi (17.26 km2) |
| • Land | 6.469 sq mi (16.75 km2) |
| • Water | 0.195 sq mi (0.51 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,169 ft (661 m) |
| Population (2010)[2] | |
| • Total | 217 |
| • Density | 33/sq mi (13/km2) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 59241 |
| Area code(s) | 406 |
| GNIS feature ID | 772431[3] |
Hinsdale is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Valley County, Montana, United States. Its population was 217 as of the 2010 census.[2] The community is located on the Milk River and U.S. Route 2. Hinsdale has a post office with ZIP code 59241.[4][5]
History
Native American tribes lived in the local area for thousands of years before European colonization. This colonization brought horses which greatly improved life on the prairie. The steady eastward march of settlers pushed new tribes into the area.
1800s
The Corps of Discovery reached the head of the Milk River in May 1805. There, the river received its name, for "the water of this river possesses a peculiar whiteness, being about the colour of a cup of tea with the admixture of a tablespoonfull of milk."[6]
After the Corps of Discovery, the next major event in the area was the arrival of Texas cattle coming to fatten up on the local grass after their long cattle drives. The cattle drives lasted from 1866 until the late 1880s.[7]
Hinsdale was created when the railroad came through. The original site, or Old Hinsdale, was located roughly one and a half miles east of the present town site.[8] The old site was once owned by Bob Walsh, aka "Six-shooter Bob."[8] The present town site was originally owned by William Woolridge, who was the depot agent in 1897.[8]
The first schoolhouse int he community was built by James Deegan and Los Blackmon near the old Deegan ranch.[8] The first schoolhouse in new Hinsdale, a log building, was located on the current school grounds.[8]
1900s
While the rest of the country was booming in the roaring twenties, Montana was in a drought. Montana was the only state in the union to have a decrease in population during that time. Though far removed from the center of the Dust Bowl, Hinsdale did see a few dust storms during the Great Depression. Times were tough and most of the settlers who toughed it out and stayed lived mostly by subsistence farming.
The 1980s was a tough time in agriculture across the country. The community of Hinsdale suffered greatly as the period saw one of the worst droughts in the areas history.
2000s
The second decade of the 21st century has seen unusual and record breaking weather for Hinsdale. During the winter of 2010–2011, more than 105 inches (2,700 mm) fell in neighboring Glasgow, Montana.[9] This led to severe flooding in the spring due to runoff. A second flood period occurred later in the spring as the soil was saturated and all of the water once again rushed into the streams and the Milk River.
The summer of 2014 was unusually wet. After several weeks of small, scattered rainstorms, a larger system rolled through in late August. The storm dropped several inches of rain as it made its way across Montana. Hinsdale received seven inches rain over a three-day period. This induced the third hundred‑year‑flood that Hinsdale had experienced in three years.
Demographics
 Hinsdale Demographics, 2010 U.S. Census |
Geography
Hinsdale is located at 48°24′17″N 107°05′13″W / 48.404783°N 107.086867°W (48.404783, -107.086867).[1] The town is located on the Milk River just above the flood plain. A cut bank separates the town from the county park on the river's edge. U.S. Highway 2 runs east and west on the south side of town, with the railroad tracks running parallel south of the highway. Just south of town is the south bench, with marks the edge of the terrace than makes up the majority of south Valley County. The terrace is a raised area that was not cut down as far by erosion compared to the Milk River Valley. Numerous soil horizons, including multiple layers of sandstone, are visible in the bench.
Hinsdale was once on the edge of the inland sea of North America. As the Rocky Mountains began to rise, they were eroded and sediment filled in the sea. as the Rocky Mountain Front continued to gain elevation and increase the slope of the land, water began to erode away the sediment that had been deposited. At this point, the Missouri River flowed north past Big Sandy, entered what is now the Milk River Valley, and flowed along its course past Hinsdale. Around what is now Poplar, the Missouri turned north and eventually flowed into the Hudson Bay.[11]
During the last series of ice ages, the flow of the Missouri was diverted to its current riverbed. The Milk River now flows through part of the Missouri's ancient riverbed. The continental glaciers also deposited large amounts of rocks and sediment on the landscape.[11]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has an area of 6.664 square miles (17.26 km2), of which 6.469 square miles (16.75 km2) is land and 0.195 square miles (0.51 km2) is water.[1]
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Hinsdale has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[12]
Communities and ghost towns
Economy
The main employment of Hinsdale is agriculture. Most farms and ranches in Hinsdale are family owned and generational, in that they are passed from one generation to the next. Most of these operations were founded when the area was opened up to homesteading. Some, such as the Canen Ranch and McColly Ranch, have celebrated over 100 years of operation. Some of the primary commodities produced in the area include beef cattle, hard red wheats, and forages.
The Hinsdale Public School District is one of the other employers in the community, supply many teaching and support positions. This is a K-12 class C school. The Hinsdale School has two wings, one for the high school and one for the elementary. The two wings are joined by the administration offices and the cafeteria. The two wings form an L-shape and the octagonal-shaped gymnasium occupies the inside angle of the high school and elementary. The school mascot is the Raider and the school colors are maroon and white. The high school offers track and field on its own, basketball and volleyball through the North Country Mavericks co-op with Saco and Whitewater, and football through the co-op with Glasgow.
The community is also supported by a First Community Bank Branch, Post Office, bar and cafe, pottery shop, ice cream shop, gunsmith, leathersmith, beauty parlor, gas station and convenience store, and other small businesses.
Community
Hinsdale hosts an Independence Day celebration every year over the 3rd and 4 July. This event, known as Milk River Days, began as a bicentennial celebration in 1976. The two day event boosts a rodeo, street dance, parade, picnic, fireworks, and many other activities. There is also an All School Reunion every five years (on years ending in 6 and 1) for the alumni of Hinsdale High School.[14]
Belly Bump is a basketball tournament for the alumni of Hinsdale High School.[15] Belly Bump was founded by Kurt Rosendale in 1978. Mike Jones continued the tradition from the 80s through the mid-90s. Jared Albus organized the tournament until 2000. The tournament did not take place for over a decade until Levi Capdeville and Nate Remmich revived the tradition in 2013.[15]
References
- 1 2 3 "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Hinsdale". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
- ↑ "Look Up a ZIP Code". USPS. 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ↑ "Post Offices by ZIP Code". USPS. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ↑ Lewis, Meriwether. "The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expidition". Retrieved 12 February 2016.
- ↑ Rutter, Harry J.; Rechert, Georgia (1931). Cow Tales. Helena, Montana: Montana Historical Society Research Center.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Montana Federation Women's Clubs; Shope, H. Irvin (1925). Local Community History of Valley County, Montana. Glasgow, Montana: The Glasgow Courier.
- ↑ Benoit, Zach (March 23, 2011). "More snowstorms could be on the way". Billings Gazette. ISSN 2372-868X. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016.
Glasgow residents woke up Wednesday to about 8 inches [200 mm] of new snow, pushing the town’s record-breaking seasonal snowfall total to more than 105 inches [2,700 mm].
- ↑ "Hinsdale, Montana Census County Division". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
- 1 2 Johnson, Brady (March 1, 2012). Glacial Mix-Up. Hinsdale, Montana.
- ↑ "Hinsdale, Montana Köppen Climate Classification". Weatherbase. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016.
The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "BSk".
- ↑ "Hinsdale Public Schools Webpage". Hinsdale Public Schools. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- ↑ Johnson, Brady. "Milk River Days". Facebook. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- 1 2 Davidson, Bonnie (December 31, 2014). "Hinsdale’s Belly Bump Tournament Returns". The Glasgow Courier. ISSN 2378-8305. LCCN sn85042379. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015.
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